


art imitates art and other funny sayings

by greenfoamsea



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art School, Fluff, Idk how to tag please help, More tags to be added, Multi, Slice of Life, but more like a high school/charter school than a college
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27933454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenfoamsea/pseuds/greenfoamsea
Summary: smp? survival multiplayer??? don’t you mean school of media production?? haha i'm funny.an art school au for the dream smp, mostly out of the author’s own indulgence. oneshots.lowercase intended. requests are open, but read the first chapter to get a feel of what i write and some context on the au.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), more added later - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	1. table of contents + requests

**Author's Note:**

> i don’t actually go to an art school, i wish i did. i am an active participant in my school’s choir and theatre programs though, so at least that much can be accurate. the rest, not so much. mind me, thanks. 
> 
> please enjoy! i take requests. chapter one is a table of contents with a little bit of world building for context. the rest is oneshots. thanks for checking this out, it means a lot to me.

ooc notes + rules on requesting

i take requests, just comment something and i’ll try my best to write it! i don’t write ships for minors (tommy, tubbo, ranboo, etc) or anyone who’s stated they’re uncomfortable with it. no smut, do note that this au takes place in a high school setting. with that said, anything is on the table! to some degree. the table of contents will usually list my next planned oneshot!

table of contents

_ midnight fire escapism _ \- dreamnap.

dream doesn’t know what he was expecting to see on the fire escape at midnight. certainly not someone else at the top, playing the violin, and most definitely not someone so unforgettable as him. 

up next…  _ lunch for four  _ \- sleepybois

technoblade and his lunch escapades, featuring his two younger brothers and substitute teacher father.


	2. midnight fire escapism (dreamnap)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dream doesn’t know what he was expecting to see on the fire escape at midnight. certainly not someone else at the top, playing the violin, and most definitely not someone so unforgettable as him. 
> 
> notes: dreamnap supremacy <3

if dream were less of a man, maybe he'd be in his room sleeping soundly, but any director knows that the perfect shot is worth sneaking out of school for. so, at the end of it all, he doesn't really mind breaking back into the dorm building after sneaking out to get some midnight shots of the cargo trains passing. he can't say it's the best he's done in his three years at this school, but he'll settle for what he's got. 

hopping the school gate is easy, so is getting onto the fire escape. really, he just has to hope his roommate left a window open for him to crawl through, as he's not in much of a mood to break anything (at least on purpose). the blonde has to admit the campus is nice when you don't have hundreds of aspiring creators running around like maniacs. in a way, it feels too quiet, but dream can't complain as the only one who gets to enjoy the silence. 

stopping just before the fire escape of the old brick house they call a dorm, dream sees shapes in the night sky. squinting just slightly, the shapes make a figure, right at the edge of the roof. someone else is awake at this time, and surely they aren’t doing any good. rarely ever are people awake at this time doing good things, especially when your school is full of a whole assortment of eccentrics.

do people usually stand at the edge of rooftops at one in the morning when no one else is there to see…? no. the alarms start to go off in dream’s head, as irrational as it all seems. he never sees people on the roof, even less at night. the dots just line up too perfectly. if dream were less of a man, he’d just ignore it, but when someone needs help, he’s going to provide it. 

he climbs a few levels too high up the fire escape, light on his feet as always. the building feels taller than before, like there’s more waiting for him at the top. as he reaches his last few steps, it hits him.

what do you even say to someone in a situation like this? don’t jump, you have so much to live for? it feels bitter on his tongue, knowing he might just have to say that to a stranger. despite the ever growing pit in his stomach, he pushes on. he lets out the breath he was holding, not because of what he sees.

rather, it’s what he hears. music, soft and wistful against the shivering autumn air. dream never really understood all the classical bullshit they teach in at the smp, not that he ever wanted to in the first place. it’s not like he’s the one who signed up for the music course. still, whoever’s playing really does know what they’re doing. the song alone almost alleviates dream’s worries.

it’s hard to see in the dark of the night, but he can make out another boy a few inches shorter than him as most are. inky blue eyes stare down at the sheet music in complete focus and if not for the pale moonlight across his sun kissed face, dream would of never made out that color. the other is so trapped in his own symphony that he doesn’t even notice dream watching him until the final note hums off his violin. 

there’s a long bout of silence between the two as the ravenette turns to look at the newcomer. soon enough he speaks with a small, blinding grin. “do you need something, dude?” he doesn’t sound like he was going to… well…

“i- uh-” dream doesn’t stutter, but speaking his mind is more difficult here, “no. you good?” playing off is simple enough as he tilts his head up from the edge of the fire escape.

the boy above him takes a seat, letting his legs dangle over the roof’s ledge carefully, “i’m fine.” his eyes, hazy and inky, don’t reflect his words, but dream doesn’t press on, “just wanted to get some more practice in without bothering my roommate. don’t worry about it.”   
  
“i wasn’t.” the blonde scoffs, turning his head away to stare at the sky. he can feel the other staring at him, it’s a little unnerving, “do you come here often?”   
  
dream has spent a night or two on the roof, but never this late and never with someone else. the loneliness suits him as much as he loves the attention he gets as one of the more gifted students in his course. he’s never seen this guy before though. 

he shakes his head, “nah. just felt like coming to the roof tonight.” he shrugs, following dream’s eyes to the moon. the duo sit in comfortable silence, passing short glances at each other until someone cracks. not that either of them do, being that stubborn. the silence is broken when the taller boy lifts himself from his spot on the fire escape towards the stranger.   
  


“need something?” he asks, setting his violin comfortably in his lap to make some room for dream. now that they’re closer, the blonde can get a good look at him. how worn his hands are from practicing, how twitchy every muscle is and just how tired he looks. 

dream can’t really anticipate the next words that come out of his mouth. sure, he has a tendency to be bolder and, to some people, flirtatious, but it’s funny how naturally it all comes out to him. “your name, maybe your number.” he says, taking a few moments to process what he said. 

the silence is deafening for a few seconds too long, so dream fills it in with more rambling, “not that i  _ need _ your number or anything, i didn’t mean that i just kind of want your n-“ 

“sapnap.” the boy,  _ sapnap _ says before bursting into laughter warm enough to make dream forget about how embarrassing he just was and how cold it was on a rooftop at one in the morning.

“don’t worry about it, dude. you’re all good,” the violinist places a hand on dream’s shoulder with a small grin, “i don’t know about the number thing, but i’ll see what i can do, yeah?” sapnap’s words trail off into more giggles, dream nudging him off with his own quiet laughs. 

it’s weird how natural it is to be around the ravenette, as if he was just an old friend dream was happy to see again. how easy sapnap gets dream out of his shell, makes him feel… warm. there’s that word again, not that dream can think of something better to describe it. time passes by as the conversation continues smoothly. it goes from their roommates, to school, then videos games and all the way back around to school. 

maybe he just wasn’t the most observant kid during middle school. he wasn’t the most social, but when sapnap says they went to the same school it makes a pit drop in his stomach. 

he doesn’t even realize how much time has passed until sapnap yawns and lets him know it’s three am. he’s usually awake at these times, but he’s never this energetic. 

“it was nice talking. you’re cool.” sapnap hums, stretching out with a small grunt, “i’ll see you?” 

“actually-“ dream watches the violinist stop in his tracks for a moment, swallowing the lump in his throat. inky blue bores into forest green. it takes him a few moments to put his words together, too caught up in the moment, “can i listen to you play? you don’t have to, but i only got to hear you for a little bit. i’d just- well, yeah.”

he tries to laugh it off, but it’s too dry and not natural in the slightest. still, sapnap smiles and nods at him, “yeah, i can do that. serenade you n’ shit,” he giggles, “any requests…” 

it takes a few seconds to figure out why he’s trailing off. oh. has he not introduced himself…? even if they’ve been talking for so long? of course. “dream,” he finally says, feeling color rising into his cheeks, “and not really. i just want to listen to you play.” 

he watches sapnap pause, blinking in the moonlight before he nods again, “alright then,  _ dream. _ ” it sounds  _ really _ good when he says his name, he has to note. quiet falls over the roof like calm before the storm.

at the end of it all, it was never about the song though. dream could really care less about what sapnap is playing, what matters is that it’s for his ears only in this moment. if not for the music, he’s sure the tanned boy would hear his heart beating out of his chest in the moment. he watches sapnap’s eyes flutter shut, pulled into serene focus. it feels warm again.

the song ends too quickly for him and perhaps for sapnap too. maybe his eyes made up the flush in the violinist’s cheeks or the way his eyes trailed across dream for just a few seconds too long. there’s a long pause of silence before sapnap packs up his violin and runs down the fire escape into a barely open window just a few levels down. still, he pauses right before he goes in to yell at the blonde with a small grin.    
  
“i’ll be here tomorrow night, if you want my number then. just saying.” the moonlight makes him glow like some sort of celestial being in the night. dream feels his heart flutter one last time before he says his goodbyes and watches sapnap slip away into the building.

it’s cold and quiet and suddenly all the things dream detests about the night. the stars wink at him, as if to laugh at his dumbfounded, lovestruck state.  _ love? _ that’s… that’s a new one. he didn’t consider that.

dream isn’t any less of a man as he was a few hours ago. he is a changed one however. a weak, charmed, smitten man. before the cold starts to get to him, he climbs back down the fire escape with thoughts of deep blue eyes and warm midnight tunes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first time i've written in a very long time. i love this ship. thanks for reading. also no this wasn't proofread, there are definitely mistakes but who cares at the end. love you.


End file.
